Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Henry Arundel CHENEY was born at Northallerton, Yorkshire, England on 9th August, 1890

His parents were Henry CHENEY & Margaret FINKILL who married in Northallerton in 1876

His brother Edward Lloyd CHENEY (SN 546) died of wounds during WW1 on 12th March, 1918 (Lieutenant)

"...806 Sergeant Henry Arundel Cheney, 50th Battalion from Upper Mitcham, South Australia. A 24 year old driver prior to enlisting on 28 August 1914, he embarked for overseas as a Private with B Company, 10th Battalion from Adelaide on 20 October 1914 aboard HMAT Ascanius. While serving at Gallipoli, he was taken ill with dysentery and in August 1915 was evacuated to Malta and then onto England for medical treatment. After returning to Egypt in March 1916, he transferred to the 50th Battalion and having previously been promoted up through the ranks, was promoted to Sergeant on 1 June 1916. Later that month he proceeded to France and in August 1916 sprained his ankle while marching. Following evacuation to England for medical treatment, he returned to the 50th Battalion in France in February 1917 and was killed in action at Noreuil on 2 April 1917. Sgt Cheney was buried in the Military Cemetery at Noreuil but after the war, his grave could not be located and he is commemorated on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux, France with others who have no known grave." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)

Henry Arundel CHENEY (1890 - 1917)

Henry Arundel Cheney was the son of Henry and Margaret Cheney, of Prince’s Road, Mitcham South Australia, but recent immigrants from the UK. He was born at Northallerton, Yorkshire in England.  He had a younger brother, Edward Lloyd Cheney.   The family emigrated to Australia shortly before WW1.  Edward had prior service in the Royal Marines.

Henry enlisted with his brother Edward on the 28th of August 1914 just two weeks after the declaration of war. Both brothers departed from Adelaide on the HMT Ionian on March 2nd, 1915 and proceeded to Egypt.  At the time of enlistment Henry was just over 24 years of age.

As members of the 10th Battalion the brothers were part of the first South Australian Battalion raised for the AIF.  Others would follow but they were part of the first.   The 10th Battalion was part of the 3rd Brigade, the so-called ‘outer States’ Brigade comprising the 9th (Qld), 10th (SA) 11th (WA and 12th (Tas and SA).  They were the ‘covering force and forst to land on the Gallipoli peninsula and begin the famous Anzac campaign. Henry was promoted to Corporal on July 1st.  On the 25th August Henry was admitted sick to hospital with enteric fever (dysentery and typhoid) primarily a result of poor sanitation in the Anzacs toe-hold around Anzac Cove.

Transferred to Mudros (a nearby staging point on the island of Lemnos) he was subsequently transferred to Malta. In the summer of 1915, illness took a greater toll than enemy action, apart of course from the August Battles around Lone Pine and Hill 60.  Henry was eventually transferred to Epson hospital in the UK on the 15th of September.

The bright lights of London often proved to good to pass up to diggers a long way from home,  and Henry joined the ranks of the many Diggers who decided to take more time off than was granted.  AWOL for 2 days he was detained for 72 hours and forfeited 6 days’ pay. After several months in England. Henry returned to Egypt where momentous things were happening with the IAF after the return of the First Division and the Fourth Brigade, to form part of the Anzac Division.  The AIF was being ‘doubled’ for the war on the Western Front.

All of the 16 Battalions of the original First Division were split with half of their experienced officers NCO and soldiers being allocated to ‘pup’ Battalions.  The 10th’s ‘pup’ was to be the 50th Battalion, and it was officially formed on 26 February 1916.  In April of 1916 Henry and Edward were transferred to the 50th Battalion from the 10th.

From March to June 1916, before embarking on the ‘Arcadian’ on 12th of June. Henry joined his brother Edward and disembarked in the south of France at the port of Marseilles to join the many units of the AIF which would ultimately join the BEF in France and Belgium. On the first of July Henry was promoted to sergeant and then paradoxically 5 days later was on a charge of …  ‘neglect of duty as an NCO in that he failed to report men of his unit whom he found to be disobeying a routine order which had been promulgated to all ranks of the unit. Award- severe reprimand.’

Henry’s run with hospitalisation continued on the 3rd of August with a sprained ankle leading to his transfer to the UK again this time to Harefield in England for nearly a month. October and November involved training at the Command School for Henry before return to Etaples in France. Henry re-joined his unit on the 7th of February 1917.

At this point in the war, the Germans began a strategic withdrawal from what was a salient jutting into the British sector which the Germans assessed was at risk of being cut off at the base and it was wasting resources to try and hold it.

The 4th Brigade was tasked to advance to the front which they did from Buire on the 20th March.  The 50th Battalion was tasked with the capture of Noreuil, one of the defended Outpost Villages on 2nd April.  The plan of attack relied on the 52nd Battalion advancing from the right on high ground overlooking the village.  The 50th was to attack and then wheel right to link up with the 52nd.  

The attack broke down because German machine guns, particularly one where the 52nd Battalion were meant to have cleared, caught the attackers in a deadly cross fire, and their own supporting artillery fire was too thin to suppress the German machine guns.  The element tasked to clear the village itself were too few in number and were overwhelmed by Defenders pouring out of the fortified ruins capture a large number of Australians and then attacked the rest of the Battalion from what was now their rear.  The day was saved by a determined attack by Major Loutit’s company which turned the enemy's flank and averted disaster for the 50th..

Notwithstanding that, the 50th suffered its worst day of the war, and Sergeant Henry Cheney was one of many who were killed, and their bodies were not recovered or their graves were subsequently lost, so he is listed as ‘Known Unto God’ on the Australian National Memorial at Villers Bretonneux. Although it was recorded that he was buried in the cemetery at Noreuil, it was hit by shellfire later in the war and many graves were torn up.  82 men are commemorated on a 'Special Memorial' annoted 'Believe to be buried in this cemetery', but Henry Cheney is not one of them for reasons unknown,  Henry was age 26.  

His younger brother Edward, had been promoted to Lieutenant and awarded the Military Cross, but had been hospitalised ill after Mouquet Farm, and was still in hospital for the attack on Noreuil.  He learned of his brother's death whilst in hospital.  Edward himself was to die the following year just hit by shellfire along with some other soldiers from his platoon, as the German Spring Offensive broke over the British sector of the Western Front./

Sources:

Henry Cheney's National Arhive Service Records (see link in sidebar)

Faulkner, Andrew  'Guts Glory and Blunder' Big Sky Publications 2024 - see the Campaign Page for Noreuil on this site..